Your Ends vs. God's Ends

Your Ends vs. God's Ends by John W. Ritenbaugh

"After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her." II Samuel 13:1-2

"However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone!" II Samuel 13:14, 15

The strong desire to be unfaithful to one's clearly stated and understood responsibilities is a drive we have to deal with and overcome.

We must learn that there is a living principle that God activated and still enforces in His creation. When this drive controls a person, retribution will automatically follow. Thus, the person is considered faithless.

Any time a thing—in this case, sex—becomes an end in itself, it creates an idol, which will provoke a response from God. In addition, as this illustration shows, it also ceases to give the satisfying pleasure God intends. Like a drug, the individual constantly needs more to achieve the satisfaction he desires.

Solomon shows clearly in Ecclesiastes 1:8 that human nature cannot be satisfied: "All things are full of labor; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing."

This is not the way God made us; it is the way we have become as a result of Satan broadcasting his spirit and us following its promptings.

We have become perverted in our tastes, and our tastes have to be converted in order to enjoy the benefits God intends.